Side-slipping weft detector for looms



June 4, 1929. A. J. CHEVRETTE SIDE SLIPPING WEFT DETECTOR I' OR LOOKS Filed Jan. 4, 1928 y M A W'OJPNEXJ Patented June 4, 1929.

AUG-USTIN J. CHEVRETTE, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO CROMPTON & KNOWLES LOOM WORKS, OF MASSACHUSETTS.

WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF SIDE-SLIPPING WEFT DETECTOR FOR LOOMS.

Application filed January 4, 1928.

This invention relates to side slipping weft detectors for looms and it is the general object of the invention to provide a simplified construction wherein the loom to which the detector is applied may he turned over by hand without causing improper transfers of the bobbins.

In co-pending application Serial No. 200,- 181 filed by Payne there is shown a, weft detector of the side slipping type having a yarn engaging membermounted on a sliding carrier and held yieldingly in detecting position by a single spring. The detector cooperates with a pivoted controller which is brought into the path of an actuatingv lever at the time of indication of substantial weft exhaustion. The controller shown in that application is not readily adjustable and it is an important object of my present invention to employ the general form of detector set forth in the Payne application but to associate the same with a more easily adjusted controller for the actuator lever.

It is a more specific object of my present invention to provide a. detector having an actuating lever and a side slipping yarn engaging element together with: a controller for the actuator which shall be connected by means of gear toothed devices with the yarn engaging element.

It is a further object of my present invention to provide a detector having a controlr ler and an actuator lever so related that said controller may be either normally under or out of the path. of the actuating lever,. interruption. of which initiates. av change in the operation of the loom.

With these and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, my invention resides'in the combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and set forth in the claims.

In, the accompanying drawings wherein a convenient embodiment of my present invention is shown,:

Fig- 1. is a top plan view of my improved form of detector, parts being in section and the cover for the detecting element proper being removed, I

Fig. 2. is a vertical. section on line 22 of Fig. 1,.

Figs. 3 and 4 are vertical sections on lines 3-3 and. 4+4, respectively,. of Fig. 1,

Serial No. 244,528.

line 55 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 6 is a rear elevation taken in the direction of arrow 6, Fig. 1 with the yarn engaging element shown in section, and

F 7 is a front elevation taken in the direction of arrow 7, Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, I have shown a loom frame 10 which supports a portion-of a weft replenishing mechanism indicated at 11. A detector supporting frame 12 is fast with respect to the replenishing mechanism and has a guide 13 in which vertically reciprocates a block 1 1 on which is pivoted an actuator lever 15. One end of said lever 15 is connected by means of a link 16 to devices not shown in detail herein for changing the operation of the loom. The other end of the lever is mounted to reciprocate in a slot 17 formed in an arm 18 of the detector stand 12. Arm 18 is provided with a bore 19 into which extends a controller 20 shown herein as a wire. This wire has a portion 21' extending substantially parallel to the actuator lever 15 and has another portion 22 which extends to the right as shown in Fig. 1 toward the bobbin B and shuttle S.

During the normal running of the 100111 the-block 14 will be given a downward movement each detecting beat of the loom and when sufficient weft is present on the bobbin B lever 15 will descend without interruption and the link 16 will remain substantially at rest because'of the fact that the controller 20 will be out of the path of the actuator lever. When insufficient weft is present, however, mechanism to be described hereinafter will cause the controller 20 to be under the actuator lever when the block 14 movesdownwardly to interrupt the normal descent of said actuator lever and cause depression of the link 16 to initiate a change in the operation of the loom through said link 16. The matter thus far described is substantially the same as shown in prior patents to Ryon Nos. 972,722 and 1,030,74.8.-

The detector comprises a bed 30 which is supported by the detector frame 12 and there is slidably mounted on said bed a carrier 31 which extends through slot 32 in the front wall 33 of the bed 30. Said carrier may have the forward end thereof extending. upwardly as at 34 to engage a portion of the transfer mechanism T at the time of transfer. The carrier is provided with an upstanding pin on which is pivoted the yarn engaging detecting element 36 which has a roughened surface 37 offset from the stud 35 with respect to the length of the bobbin so that when insufiicicnt weft is present the advancing bobbin will tend to turn the element 36 around the stud 35. A single compression spring 38 is relied upon to hold the carrier 31 and the detector element 36 yieldingly in rearward position, the right hand end of said spring as shown in 1 engaging a boss 39 on the detecting element and the left hand end bearing against a portion of the wall 33 of the base and also a part of the cap 40. Said cap 40 is of substantially the same contour as the bed and is held to the latter by means of a screw 41. The left hand end of the cap is provided with a tongue 12 which extends into a corresponding recess 43 in the bed to pre vent angular movement of the latter and the cap.

When sufficient weft is present the roughened surface 37 will be engaged by the yarn of the advancing bobbin so that the sliding carrier 31 and detecting element 36 will move forwardly against the action of spring 38. hen insuflicient weft is present, however, the roughened surface 37 will slide along the substantially exhausted bobbin around the stud 35 as previously stated. It will be noted that the spring 38 exerts its force at a point on the detecting element which is intermediate the pivot of the latter and the roughened surface 37 and it is for this reason that the detector is free to turn when the roughened surface is not resisted by yarn. The matter thus far described herein as associated with the bed 30 may be substantially the same as shown in the aforesaid application to Payne and forms no part of my present invention.

In carrying my invention into effect I provide improved means for establishing connection between the detecting element 36 and the controller 20. Accordingly, I form the detecting element 36 with a segmental arm having gear teeth 51 which mesh with the rack teeth 52 of a rack bar 53. Said rack bar rests on the bed and is limited as to vertical movement by the cap and is restrained against lateral movement by walls 54: and 55 formed, respectively, on, the bed and cap. The end 22 of the controller is threaded as at 56 and extends into a correspondingly threaded bore 57 in the rack bar 53. A lock nut 53 may be used to hold any relative setting which may be established between the controller and the rack bar. The portion 22 of the controller extends through the casing defined by the bed and cap as shown in Fig. 4. p

In operation the controller and rack bar will be so adjusted that when the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 1 the right hand end of the controller which passes through the bore 19 will be just clear of the path of the actuator lever 15 and as the carrier 31 and detecting element 36 move forwardly as previously described the teeth 51 and 52 on, the segmental arm 50 and rack bar 53, respectively, will cause forward movement of the controller so that the de sccnding movement of the actuator lever 15 will be uninterrupted. When the detecting element 36 has a swinging movement and moves to the dotted line position indicated in Fig. l the carrier 31 will remain at rest, the right hand end thereof as shown in Fig. 1 being held against the shoulder 59 on the bed 30 by the spring 38. Angular movement of the detecting element will cause motion to the right of the rack bar 53 so that the controller 20 will move under and interrupt the downward movement of the actuator lever 15. It is found that the detecting element will not always swing the same amount when cooperating with different classes of goods and it is desirable therefore to be able to set the detector as closely as possible to the path of the actuating lever 15 when detecting fine yarns. Obviously, this adjustment can be effected by means of the connection between the threaded end 56 of the controller and the bore 57.

A great many detectors of the so-called double contact type have gone into use made according to patent to Ryon No. 972,722 wherein the controller pin is normally under the actuating lever 15. If weavers accustomed to this method of setting the detector so desire they may move the controller rearwardly so that under normal. conditions it will be under the actuator lEWGl and will be withdrawn from the path of said lever when the detector moves forwardly without angular movement upon detection of a sulficient supply of weft. Thus it will be seen that my detector is so arranged that the controller may be either normally in or out of the path of the actuator lever 15 and that it will operate satisfactorily when in either position.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I have provided a weft detector of the side slipping type wherein very fine adjustments are possible between the detecting element and the controller and that angular movement of the yarn engaging element 36 may be converted in a right line motion of the controller by means of the rack and segment teeth. It will also be seen that the detector is so designed that it will operate whether the controller be normally in the path of the actuator lever or normally out of the path of said lever.

Having thus described my invention it will be seen that changes and modifications may be made therein by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention and I do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, but what I claim is:

1. In a weft detecting mechanism having a regularly moving actuator, a side slipping weft detector, a stand, a carrier for the detector slidably mounted in the stand, a pivotal connection between the carrier and the detector, the latter having at detecting surface offset with respect to the pivotal connection in the direction of the length of the surface to be detected, a controller to interrupt the normal movement of the actuator at indication of weft exhaustion, and a rack and gear connection between the controller and the detector, said detector moving angularly with respect to the carrier when indicating weft exhaustion and the pivotal connection remaining substantially at rest to cause movement of the controller into operative relation with respect to the actuator.

2. In a weft'detecting mechanism having a regularly moving actuator, a side slipping weft detector, a stand, a carrier for the detector slidably mounted in the stand, a pivotal connection between the carrier and the detector, the latter having a detecting surface offset with respect to the pivotal connection in the direction of the length of the surface to be detected, a controller to interrupt normal movement of the actuator at indication of weft exhaustion, and a rack and gear connection between the detector and the controller, said detector having pivotal movement relatively to the carrier at the time of weft exhaustion and the pivotal connection remaining substantially at rest to cause movement of the controller into operative relation with respect to the actuator.

3. In a weft detecting mechanism having a regularly moving actuator, a side slipping weft detector, a stand, a carrier for the detector slidably mounted in the stand, a pivotal connection between the carrier and the detector, the latter having a detecting surface offset with respect to the pivotal connection in the direction of the length of the surface to be detected, gear teeth movable with the detector and formed on an arc concentric with the pivot of said detector, a controller for the actuator, rack teeth moving with the controller and meshing with-the teeth carried by the detector, pivotal movement of the detector relatively to the carrier at the time of indication of weft exhaustion moving the controller into operative position with respect to the actuator, and a pivotal connection remaining substantially at rest.

4:. In a weft detecting mechanism having a regularly moving actuator, a side slipping weft detector, a stand, a carrier for the detector slid'ably mounted in the stand, a pivotal connection between the carrier and the detector, the latter having a detecting surface offset with respect to the pivotal connection in the direction of the length of the surface to be detected, gear teeth formed integral with the detector and lying on an arc concentric with the pivot of the detector, a rack having teeth meshing with the gear teeth of the detector, said rack being guided in the stand, and a controller moving with the rack, said controller being movable into operative position relatively to the actuator by the interaction of the teeth on the rack and detector when the latter has a pivotal movement at the time of indicating exhaustion, the pivotal connection remaining substantially at rest at the time of pivotal movement of the detector.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto atlixed my signature.

AUGUSTIN J. OI-IEVRETTE. 

